Charles T. Canady: “I rise today in support of a bill that I will introduce tomorrow, the Prison Management Relief Act of 1994. Federal…”

“I rise today in support of a bill that I will introduce tomorrow, the Prison Management Relief Act of 1994. Federal courts are introducing into the management of State prison systems in America, placing arbitrary caps on prison populations and forcing the early release of prisoners. Currently 39 States are burdened by Federal court orders, or consent decrees, that limit inmate populations or require systematic improvement of conditions in their correctional facilities. Nine States are under court order covering their entire prison systems. In Florida alone, 20,350 inmates were released in 1992-93 to maintain the State's prison population within its court-mandated capacity. Just this last weekend a tragedy occurred in Ocala National Forest because a criminal was released early from a Florida prison. John Edwards was murdered and his sister was brutally raped and beaten by two men. One of the men had been released from a Florida prison after serving less than one-quarter of his sentence. Mr. Speaker, we must shut the revolving door of our Nation's prisons. The Prison Management Relief Act will help prevent courts from placing arbitrary population caps on State prison systems. Passage of this legislation is one important step we can take to at least slow down the revolving door. The provisions of this bill are already part of the Senate crime bill and should be a part of any anticrime bill this House passes.”